While everyone is still grumbling about the seemingly un-ending bout of cold weather, I thought I d think positive thoughts by writing about my top choices of drought resistant plants for the Florida garden, in the hopes of inviting some warmer weather. I figured if David Letterman can have a Top 10 list, why can t I?
In an effort to use less water, choose healthier plants for the landscape, follow the principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping and still have an attractive yard, I m going to dedicate the next few months articles to those tried and true plants (and a few new ones too) that will stand up to almost any abuse that we (or even Mother Nature) can dish out. From a design perspective, trees, shrubs and palms serve as anchors for a landscape, so that s why the first article in this series will focus on them.
Trees and shrubs are woody perennials in Florida landscapes. They improve air quality, stabilize the soil with their expansive root systems, and provide wildlife habitat to birds and other creatures. Deciduous trees, if planted on the south and west sides of a home, provide shade and passive cooling effects on homes and other structures. Cooler temperatures inside a home from the shade of trees in the summer can reduce electric bills as much as twenty percent. Palm trees are the unofficial symbol of a tropical Florida landscape. They make stunning focal points as specimen plants, or can be mixed in with other plants in large landscape beds to provide texture and scale.
Trees
Let s start with 2 trees that will perform from zone 7 to 10 Vitex and European olive. Also known as the chaste tree because of the historical belief that the fruit contained anti-libido properties, vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) is documented as far back as the time of the Greek physician Hippocrates, over 2,500 years ago. Vitex is a small deciduous tree with a showy summertime flower display and grey-green foliage. Branched flower clusters are produced on new wood in late spring and early summer in a great flush, making the tree look like a hazy purple cloud. It continues to bloom sporadically until early fall, attracting many pollinating bees and hummingbirds. Pruning should take place in winter, since blooms form on new growth. It is hardly ever disturbed by pests or disease but is susceptible to mushroom root rot and nematodes, so make sure it s planted in well-drained soil.
The European olive (Olea europaea) is an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean, Asia and parts of Africa. Rarely exceeding 20-30 feet in height, the silvery green leaves and gnarled and twisted trunk make this tree a particularly striking element in the landscape, especially when paired with dark green plants. This tree will typically not produce a lot of fruit, so you don t have to worry about the mess. It requires a sunny spot with well drained soil, but once established it s very drought resistant, thanks to a sturdy and extensive root system.
The third tree on my Top 10 List is the weeping yaupon (Ilex vomitoria Pendula ), a Florida native tree that is a treasure for the home garden, zones 8 to 10. It stays in scale with your home, growing quickly to 15 to 20 feet with a spread of 6 to 12 feet. The tiny leaves on the graceful drooping stems make a dramatic statement when paired with other plants, and the characteristic red berries are a favorite of many birds. Yaupon holly is an incredibly tough plant and grows in very wet, heavy soils or, once established, in very dry soils. Yaupon also has many fewer insects and disease problems than other small-leaved evergreens. The specific epithet, vomitoria , comes from the legendary “black tea” used by Native Americans. They drank the tea in such excess that it caused them to vomit; the reaction was not because of the plant itself.
The final tree on the list may also be characterized as a shrub, depending on who you ask. The golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta) is a sprawling, tender evergreen shrub or small tree that can get up to 18 feet tall and just as wide in zones 9 through 11. The showy lavender flowers bloom almost all year long in terminal clusters, attracting lots of butterflies. The golden-yellow fruit is spherical and hangs in bunches. Golden dewdrop is easy to grow and requires little care. It tends to sprawl and will need regular thinning and pruning to keep it under control. This plant does best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade. For a more formal look in the landscape, consider buying a standard or pruning a young plant to have only one main trunk so that it grows like a small tree.
Shrubs
If you don t have enough room for trees in your landscape, large shrubs can serve many of the same functions. Esperanza (Tecoma stans), or yellow elder, is originally from the desert shrub lands and dry forests of northern Mexico and Texas and will do well throughout the entire state of Florida. It can reach 15 feet in height and makes a beautiful small tree, if trained to have a single trunk. It can also be pruned lower and maintained as a flowering shrub. The Gold Star cultivar has received top ratings for being spectacularly heat-tolerant with striking masses of golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers and dark green, glossy divided leaves.
If you re looking for a touch of blue in your garden, plumbago (Plumbago ariculata) is the plant for you! This shrub grows 4 to 6 feet tall and sprawls 5 to 6 feet wide, if unsupported by a fence or trellis. On a fence it will grow to cover the structure. Frost may burn the top but the woody base survives to bloom quickly in the spring and throughout much of the year, depending on water and fertility. Even with neglect, this shrub will produce flowers and add a colorful element to any landscape. It is moderately salt tolerant and pest free.
The native firebush (Hamelia patens) is a large shrub to small tree in its natural Florida environment, but it can be pruned to any size or shape. It quickly re-sprouts after radical pruning or even a hard freeze in central Florida. This plant is not recommended for the low temperatures of zone 8 and may even melt in zone 9 after a hard freeze, but it won t die completely. It is best used as a tall background plant in your mixed annual and perennial border. Best of all, it is at the top of the list as a butterfly and hummingbird attractor because of its red, tubular blooms.
The final shrub on the list is thryallis (Galphimia glauca), a small perennial shrub for central and south Florida that can grow to 6 feet high and about as wide. It s a moderately fast grower that smothers itself in beautiful yellow blossoms in late summer and fall, although some flowers can be expected at all times if warm temperatures are maintained. Bright, but not direct, sunlight is preferred by this plant. It will grow more scraggly in shady areas, and trimming may be required to keep it looking neat. It responds well to shearing for a neat hedge and can be used in foundation plantings beneath windows where its dense thicket of stems will discourage prowlers (or wandering teenagers).
Palms
The last two plants on my Top 10 list are palms. The European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) has become very popular in recent years, mostly due to its cold hardiness. Not only can it resist temperatures below 20 F, but it is fairly fast growing and drought resistant too! The European fan palm forms clumps than can grow up to 15 feet. The triangular, fan shaped leaves grow to about 20-24 inches long by 24 inches wide. This is an extremely variable plant, both in color and in shape. The leaves range from blue-green to grey-green to yellow-green. Some plants form suckers more freely than others to become very shrubby plants that may reach 15 feet in width. Other individuals can be seen that are almost dwarf growing just 5 feet tall by 4 feet wide.
And finally (drum roll, please) the paurotis palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii), also known as the Everglades palm, can be seen growing in great mounds that erupt from the edges of the small islands dotting the Everglades. The paurotis palm is native to the southern tip of Florida and the Everglades, and it is now a popular landscape item in all nearly frost-free climates. It is also one of the few palms that can tolerate standing water. This palm produces light green fronds with silvery undersides that grow 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The paurotis palm blooms in late spring with white flowers on long inflorescences that extend past the fronds.